At what pace did wasim akram bowled at?

[govinda indian fan]

At what speed did wasim akram bowled at his peak? I have read two contrasting articles about his speed. One article claims at 92 wc akram was bowling between 142-150 ks and after diabetes in 99 wc he was bowling between 135-143ks. Another article mentions that during 1992-93 b&h tri series they had accurete speed guns and waqar and bishop were bowling 150k easily while wasim was bowling 135-140 touching 90 miles @ his effort ball. Which one is true? At what pace was akram bowling? Asking those who watched cricket in 90s @subshakerz @kyear2 @Molehill @Fuller Pilch

 

[subshakerz]

Mostly Steyns pace. 140 kph or so but looked sharper when he cranked it. Not express and rarely cracked 90 MPHs except with effort balls.

 

[Dazinho]

I always thought Wasim was more about swing and movement through the air than raw speed, was Wasim a shade faster than him but did slightly less with the ball?

 

[Molehill]

I always thought Wasim was more about swing and movement through the air than raw speed, was Wasim a shade faster than him but did slightly less with the ball?

Yeah, there were times when he came around the wicket to the right handlers, the ball was reversing and he’d bowl those Yorkers, he seemed utterly unplayable. I’d have said Waqar was Steyn’s pace, Wasim a bit less.

 

[govinda indian fan]

Mostly Steyns pace. 140 kph or so but looked sharper when he cranked it. Not express and rarely cracked 90 MPHs except with effort balls.

Thanks but styen did bowl 140+ even in 15 wc when he was past his best. He was skiddy and looked quicker on eye

 

[govinda indian fan]

Yeah, there were times when he came around the wicket to the right handlers, the ball was reversing and he’d bowl those Yorkers, he seemed utterly unplayable. I’d have said Waqar was Steyn’s pace, Wasim a bit less.

In youtube videos from 1992 wc wasim does look like he was bowling pretty fast.

 

[Randomfan]

Slightly below Steyn in general with some effort ball going over 90 MPH.

 

[Silver Silva]

Bumrah's pace in his prime

 

[Fuller Pilch]

140-147kph

 

[Jane Austen]

140-147kph

I think you have Wasim Akram's speed about right and would put him in a similar speed bracket to Jasprit Bumrah.
The young Dale Steyn was a little pacier,a notch or two over 150 kph.
The fourth bowler mentioned,Waqar Younis,was express pace in his pomp,measured at over 156 kph.

Correct me if I'm wrong but someone specifically mentioned Trueman,Lillee and Hadlee reducing to mefium pace---presumably said tongue-in-cheek because they were never less than fast-medium bowlers!

 

[the big bambino]

Saw highlights of an odi and he was being timed around the high 120s low 130.

 

[jcas0167]

At what speed did wasim akram bowled at his peak? I have read two contrasting articles about his speed. One article claims at 92 wc akram was bowling between 142-150 ks and after diabetes in 99 wc he was bowling between 135-143ks. Another article mentions that during 1992-93 b&h tri series they had accurete speed guns and waqar and bishop were bowling 150k easily while wasim was bowling 135-140 touching 90 miles @ his effort ball. Which one is true? At what pace was akram bowling? Asking those who watched cricket in 90s @subshakerz @kyear2 @Molehill @Fuller Pilch

I would say the latter is accurate. My recollection of when they toured NZ around 92/93 and 93/94 was that Akram varied his pace a lot and his angle on the crease sometimes with a relatively short run-up.

 

[thierry henry]

Saw highlights of an odi and he was being timed around the high 120s low 130.

Yeah I watched Wasim heaps (Pakistan toured NZ every 5 minutes in his era) and this is the reality. I feel like I’m being gaslit with all the talk of him being fast because I just recall him always being like 128kph on the old radars. The accuracy of those 90s radars could of course be questioned.

 

[the big bambino]

Yeah I watched Wasim heaps (Pakistan toured NZ every 5 minutes in his era) and this is the reality. I feel like I’m being gaslit with all the talk of him being fast because I just recall him always being like 128kph on the old radars. The accuracy of those 90s radars could of course be questioned.

They may have been but then he was still slower than others in his era. The memory I have of Akram is players shaping up and then getting flummoxed by the movement in the air and off the seam. Batsmen looked so shocked it gives the impression of pace but it was the lateral that beat their reflexes.

 

[reyrey]

They may have been but then he was still slower than others in his era. The memory I have of Akram is players shaping up and then getting flummoxed by the movement in the air and off the seam. Batsmen looked so shocked it gives the impression of pace but it was the lateral that beat their reflexes.

Well many batsmen who faced him talk about his relatively leisurely run up, then how quick his arm turned over and how that made him difficult to face.

His fast arm action rather than the actual speed of the delivery is what made him feel pacey.

 

[Johan]

I would say he was fluctuating between 87/91mph when at peak and dropped to sub-85 in later stages of his career.

 

[Coronis]

Was a trundler

 

[Prince EWS]

Was a trundler

@trundler

Weakness.

 

[DrWolverine]

Last stages : 80-85mph
Peak : 85-90mph

 

[Bolo.]

Yeah I watched Wasim heaps (Pakistan toured NZ every 5 minutes in his era) and this is the reality. I feel like I’m being gaslit with all the talk of him being fast because I just recall him always being like 128kph on the old radars. The accuracy of those 90s radars could of course be questioned.

Guns were barely a thing until the late 90s when his body was shutting down. He was definitely quicker than what we remember seeing him clocked at. I'm not sure exactly how much faster.

Steyn is an obviously bad comparison though. Steyn was still sometimes getting into the late 140s in his mid 30s for LOs/ test spells when he was not bowling within himself.